September 2 2011 Belarus Match
Match Setting This match re-starts the UEFA Euro Cup Qualifiers after the Summer Break between the 2010-2011 and the 2011-2012 seasons. Squad The squad was announced on August 28th and consisted of 24 players, most of which play abroad with the exception of Mehmed Alispahic, Senad Lulic and Haris Handzic, who all play in the Adriatic Superleague. It consisted on 3 GK, 5 Defensemen, 12 Midfielders and 4 Strikers. The reason to nominate 24 players was the suspension of Ermin Zec for this match. The German Bundesliga, was the most represented league with 4 players, whlist all players play for different teams. Momcilo Mrkaic and Edin Cocalic were set for their first international cap, if they had the oportunity to enter the pitch. The squad list is after the break: 24-man Squad Missing Players Ermin Zec will lose this match, despite being on the squad due to a one-game two yellow card suspension Boris Pandza is out for the rest of the 2011 season, with knee tendonitis. If he recovers well, he can be available for February. Safet Nadarevic is out of the squad due to his poor club form. Tactics Mikulic will return to his traditional 3-5-2 for this match, but he will introduce some changes. "We are not being able to recover the ball quickly enough, and aren't also holding on to it. In order to improve this, we are going to start to play in a more defensive way, trying to recover the ball aggresively and then distribute it to our attacking players. It doesn't work if we have great attacking midfielders and forwards if they can't get the ball. A change in tactics for the future isn't discarded". With this words Branislav Mikulic made a ''mea culpa ''and clarified that the team will change in the coming matches. For this match, Muhamed Besic will take Pandza's position, while Said Husejinovic will start in place of Senad Lulic. Zvjezdan Misimovic will be the playmaker, ahead of Sejad Salihovic. The starting squad and their roles was as follow. Result and Analysis The match was won by Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1 Analysis A tactical mastermind is behind this project, were the words of the President of the Bosnian F.A. after the match. Branislav Mikulic had it all correct, as the Bosnians made an excellent rearguard game, and blasting in counter-attacks, guided by Zvjezdan Misimovic's passing ability. Even though, we must admit, that they were as blunt as they have been in prior matches, scoring a lot in not so much goal oportunities. The game started off with Bosnia and Herzegovina pressing up top, leading to early mistakes by the Belarusian defense. A mistake in cover left Edin Dzeko all alone in the penalty spot, and he scored his 30th goal for Bosnia with a high shot at 12 minutes. After the score, the Bosnians were instructed to retreat their lines a bit and push counter attacks using Vedad Ibisevic's speed. This resulted in a header from him beign badly cleared by the defense to be ceased by Dzeko once more, scoring his second goal at the 19 minute mark. After that Bosnia stopped counter-attacking and focused on maintaining possession, with short passes. At the 31st minute the game could have complicated, as Muhamed Besic was at the wrong time and in the wrong place, and scored onto his own goal. But just before halftime, Miralem Pjanic scored on a great Dzeko pass and left the scoreline 3-1. After halftime, Bosnia continued their game plan, waiting in the back, and then trying to maintain possession. Finally, a back pass to the keeper was short, and Dzeko completed his hat-trick at the 71st minute. Important Stats Possession % = 54-46 Passes Completed % = 85-75 Shots = 23-13 Clear Cut Chances = 1-3 Long Shots = 11-4 Individual Performances Edin Dzeko was once again the man of the match. He scored yet another hat-trick, and helped his team with the assist in the other goal. His rating was 9.7. Vedad Ibisevic was the ideal partner for Dzeko, fighting to regain possession and assisting him in the first two goals. He also gained a lot of headers. His rating was 8.8. Miralem Pjanic completes the podium with yet another international goal, even though he didn't shine as he uses to. His rating was 8.0.